Five retirements not fully being replaced

OCONTO - Five Oconto educators were issued non-renewal notices this month as the district worked to balance its budget for 2018-19.

The district had projected a $400,000 deficit but has made about twice that amount in cuts to in order to increase spending in other areas and provide a pay hike for remaining employees.

“We are also trying to build the budget so that we can look to stay in the black,” Oconto superintendent Emily Miller said in an email. “As you know the education budget can easily change with the amount of students that actually enter our doors in September, along (a) with health insurance increase. These factors and a few more are unknowns and only projections. So, we wanted to be conservative in our budgeting.”

Emily Miller(Photo: OCR photo)

At this point, there’s no need for additional cuts, said Miller, who noted the reductions will not affect course offerings.

Besides the non-renewals, the district is not fully replacing five people who have retired, saving $275,000 in salary, Miller said. Those positions are a high school special education teacher and three elementary school teachers. The special education program support job at Oconto Elementary School is being replaced with a part-time position.

The district will also save $60,000 from two part-time social studies teachers positions, one each at the middle and high school. Both of those jobs are currently held by the deans of students at each school, which are being eliminated as part of the administrative restructuring that is creating an associate principal at each school and one principal for grades five through 12.

The administrative restructuring will save about $20,000, Miller said.

Cuts total about $575,000, but savings from health insurance and other benefits brings that to about $795,000,

“After saving the $400,00 we had the additional savings to put back into academic programming, technology, (hiring a high school) interventionist and we are projecting a step increase for contracted staff along with a CPI increase for hourly (staff),” Miller said.

Staffing at the district’s alternative school, NEWLA, will be going from two to one person, a combination teacher and coordinator. However, the program will be supported by paraprofessionals as needed, Miller said.

To accomplish the change, several students will be switched to special education programs at either the high school or middle school.

Miller estimates NEWLA will have around 30 students next year, down from 34 this year.

Two of the five non-renewals were for the current NEWLA staff James Stiloski and Nancy Dunbar. Miller said neither had the necessary qualifications to serve as the coordinator.

Stiloski, who has been with the district for 19 years, was earning $49,717. Dunbar, who was hired six years ago, earns $34,717.

A search for a NEWLA teacher-coordinator is underway.

The other educators issued final notices of non-renewal at the March 12 school board meeting, listed with their years of serve and salary, were:

middle school special education teacher Rory Cisar, $55,717, 19 years.

The non-renewals were all approved unanimously, except for Cisar’s, in which Sandy Falk and Connie Brabant abstained.

Miller, in an email to staff, said the changes in the budget “are necessary to meet the bottom line.”

“We must work together to keep our educational program in place,” she wrote. “This means that we cannot dwell on what we don’t have as a result of this plan. Rather, we must challenge ourselves to find creative and resourceful ways to press forward with our goals for students and families. I remain confident that we will work through this budget and do the best possible for our students and families and the community at large.”

The board approved hiring Ashley Brunette as the interventionist at Oconto Middle School. She will work with students on math and language arts, and with teachers to support the needs of students in the classroom. Similar positions are currently in place at the elementary and middle schools, with the latter person moving to high school next school year.

The board also accepted the retirement of Oconto Elementary School special education paraprofessional Barbara Leigh, who has been with the district for 15 years.